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South Australian Chamber of Mines & Energy (SACOME) supports the plan for nuclear waste dump for Kimba or Hawker

South Australian Chamber of Mines & Energy (SACOME) Submission to Senate re the selection process for a national radioactive waste management facility in South Australia (submission No 69)

The South Australian Chamber of Mines & Energy (SACOME) welcomes the opportunity to make this submission to the Senate Standing Committee on Economics’ selection process for a national waste management facility in South Australia.

By way of general comment, SACOME recognises that a majority of residents in Kimba and Hawker have expressed their support for the proposed facility; and that the site selection process continues to be rigorous and focused on genuine community engagement.

SACOME notes that the Commonwealth Government has clearly stated that it will not impose a national radioactive waste facility on an unwilling community and expresses strong support for this position as a guiding principle in the site selection process. SACOME’s specific comments are limited to the following terms of reference:

e) Whether wider (Eyre Peninsular or state-wide) community views should be taken into consideration and, if so, how this is occurring or should be occurring.

SACOME views the site selection process as one that is specifically relevant to those local communities identified as possible site locations. As such, the views of the wider community are secondary to those of residents of Kimba and Hawker.

While SACOME recognises that the proposed facility has attracted significant attention and opposition due to its nature, it is questionable as to whether wider community views have sufficient connection to the proposed facility to justify them being taken into consideration.

This development has direct local impacts and benefits and, as such, the views of local communities should be given primacy.

f) Any other related matters

Construction of a national radioactive waste management facility at Barnidoota near Hawker or in Kimba in South Australia has the potential to create significant economic benefit to local communities, both through creation of local jobs and through Commonwealth funding provided to the host community.

FEDERALSubmissions about the proposed National Radioactive Waste Management Facility in Kimba or the Flinders Ranges. The Standing Committee on Environment and Energy are accepting submissions to the ‘Inquiry into the prerequisites for nuclear energy in Australia’ until 16 September 2019. Please write your own submission or use FOE’s online proforma.

Nuclear facilities, including power stations and radioactive waste dumps, are now banned in Queensland.

Nuclear facilities banned under the Act include:

·nuclear reactors (whether used to generate electricity or not);

·uranium conversion and enrichment plants;

·nuclear fuel fabrication plants;

·spent fuel processing plants; and

·facilities used to store or dispose of material associated with the nuclear fuel cycle e.g. radioactive waste material.

Exemptions under the legislation include facilities for the storage or disposal of waste material resulting from research or medical purposes, and the operation of a nuclear-powered vessel.

1 FEDERALSubmissions about the proposed National Radioactive Waste Management Facility in Kimba or the Flinders Ranges. The Standing Committee on Environment and Energy are accepting submissions to the ‘Inquiry into the prerequisites for nuclear energy in Australia’ until 16 September 2019. Please write your own submission or use FOE’s online proforma.

Australia has long rejected nuclear power, and it is banned in Federal and State laws. The nuclear lobby is out to first repeal those laws, and then to get the Australian government to commit to buying probably large numbers of Small Modular Nuclear Reactors (SMRs) . This could mean first importing plutonium and/or enriched uranium, as some reactor models, (thorium ones) require these to get the fission process started. That would, in effect, mean importing nuclear wastes.

There’s an all-too short period for people to send in Submissions to the 4 Parliamentary Inquiries now in progress.